Top Notre Dame recruit dies in fall

Offensive lineman Matt James was on spring break in Panama City, Fla.

On Friday night, Matt James' family gathered in Ohio to celebrate an uncle's 50th birthday party. The revelry came to an incomprehensibly tragic end with news delivered by one phone call.

James, a hulking offensive lineman and Notre Dame's top recruit, died in a fall from a hotel balcony in Panama City, Fla., while on a spring break trip with dozens of classmates from Cincinnati's St. Xavier High School.

Panama City Beach police told the Tribune were not releasing any information late Friday night, but television station WHJG cited police as saying a teenager fell over the balcony railing of his motel room at 6:26 p.m. Friday and apparently died instantly.

Dan Rudolph, the father of current Irish tight end Kyle Rudolph, was at the James family gathering when the news came.

"His mom and dad were here when they got the call," Dan Rudolph told the Tribune late Friday night. "The whole James family was here. I can't believe that happened."

The utter disbelief was understandable and pervasive, as a Facebook page titled "R.I.P. Matt James" already was posted Friday night. James was a 6-foot-6, 291-pounder just one week shy of his 18th birthday, and he was new Irish coach Brian Kelly's first impact recruit, ranked the nation's No. 86 prospect overall by Rivals.com.

Reached late Friday night by the Tribune, Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said the school was still in the process of gathering information and therefore likely would have no official statement until Saturday at the earliest.

But Swarbrick acknowledged an athletic department "stricken" by the reports from Florida. Gary Massa, the father Luke Massa, a Notre Dame recruit and one of James' best friends, estimated late Friday that about 40 St. Xavier students had made the trip to Florida.

Gary Massa said his told him James had died from the fall. He added that St. Xavier parents staying nearby the students had gathered James' classmates on the trip and brought in a chaplain to help work through the tragedy.

"It was just wonderful to see the attention he got this year and he handled all of that very well," Gary Massa said of James. "He treated people very well. He was always respectful. He was just a first-class kid, that's all. That's one of the things our son liked so much about him. He was just a gentle giant."

Said Dan Rudolph: "(He was) the greatest kid in the world."

Indeed, Matt James didn't solidify his decision to attend Notre Dame until the night before Signing Day this past February. When he did, he called Luke Massa and Gary Massa said his son emerged after that conversation "just as excited as could be."

Now, on Saturday, Gary Massa was to get in his car and drive to meet his son halfway from Florida to Cincinnati, and bring him home after a hug.

"It's just devastating," Gary Massa said. "That's all you can say."

In a statement Saturday, a spokesman for St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati said students gathered on the football field Friday night to remember James. St. Xavier spokesman Matt Motz said in the statement that the school is "devastated" by the news.